NWS Investigating Possible Tornado In Orange County

GREENWOOD LAKE, NY — Orange County Emergency Services is working with the National Weather Service to determine exactly what kind of event occurred during the severe thunderstorm Thursday morning, county officials said on Facebook.

A microburst or tornado may have passed through. Right around 7:20 a.m., Orange County 911 received 34 calls reporting various issues related to the storm such as downed trees and power lines, alarm activations, vehicle rescues, gas leaks, structural damage reports and more. Almost 3,000 residents lost power.

The Division of Emergency Management was assisting the Village of Greenwood Lake Police Department, Fire Department and EMS, the Town of Warwick Police Department, the New York State Police, the OC Sheriff’s Office, and the NYS Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

Orange County emergency officials reminded residents to not touch or go near any downed lines.

Orange and Rockland Utility Company is working to restore power. SEE: Morning Storms Cause 3,000+ Power Outages In Orange, Rockland Counties

Tips from O&R

• For safety’s sake, don’t touch or approach any downed wire. Assume it is energized and dangerous. Call O&R immediately toll-free 1-877-434-4100. Depending on the situation, you may also want to call your local police to divert traffic until an O&R crew arrives.
• Maintain a distance of at least 50 feet from downed wires and anything they are in contact with including puddles of water and fences. Supervise your children so that they are not in the vicinity and keep pets on a leash or otherwise secure.
• If a fallen wire is draped over a car, do not approach the car to make rescue attempts.
• Remain a safe distance away and try to keep the occupant of the vehicle calm. If possible, emergency personnel should handle the situation.
• Pole-top transformers — those small, grey-colored metal drums attached to the wires at the tops of most utility poles — also should be avoided when they have been knocked to the ground.
• Portable generators pose a serious hazard if used improperly. They should be used and installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. A wrong connection could feed electricity back through the lines and endanger our repair crews. Never plug a generator into a wall unit, use it indoors or set it up outdoors near open home windows or air-handling vents.
• Have emergency equipment within reach --- portable radio, flashlights, spare batteries, first aid kit, cell phone and important medications. Keep O&R’s toll-free number 1-877-434-4100 near the phone to report power outages.